Flyin' Fists
by Switchy
Summary: Growing tired of the newsie life, Mush decides to throw his chances in at fighting in the ring. Can he juggle both his newsie friends and the chance to be what he's always wanted? What will he decide... RR


A/N: Okee dokee... Here I go again...  
  
Flying Fists Chapter 1  
  
Kloppman came upstairs into the barely lit bunkroom. He looked around shaking his head, and walked through the aisles of bunks until he came to Mush's'. He tapped Mush on the shoulder.  
  
"Hey, ya gotta get up." He said softly. Mush rolled over and stared at him for a minute, then he remembered asking Kloppman to get him up extra early that morning the prior day. "Ya gotta go out to that trainer."  
  
Mush sat up nodding, his head still hanging. He let out a yawn and stretched his toned arms.  
  
"Wish me luck Kloppy. If I got what it takes, I'll be outta hea and soon you'll have an open spot hea in 'Hattan."  
  
Kloppman let out a quiet laugh and walked back downstairs. Mush watched him, then went into the bathroom. He rinsed his face and went back to his bunk, putting on an undershirt, and a button down, tucking them both in. He left the top two buttons undone out of habit, and rolled the sleeves up his forearms. He was awake for the most part as he slid his feet into the boots and laced them up, hiding the strings on the inside of the top. He grabbed his hat and put it on snugly, then went downstairs.  
Giving a quick wave to Kloppman, he went out to the square ring where Ace Chantier stood waiting for him, a cigar in his mouth. He pulled out a pack of matches and lit it, then threw the match to the ground and pocketed the rest.  
  
"Yer early. Good sign." He walked over to Mush. "Now, what is it you wanted me to be hea foah?"  
  
"I wanna be a fightah." Ace looked at him blankly. "I wanna go in the ring." Ace nodded and studied him.  
  
"Well, Mush-man," he said with a small grin. "How badly do you wanna go in?"  
  
"I'm givin' up on the pape' sellin'. I know I got friends thea, but I know I c'n get money from fightin'. It's double pay ain't it?" Ace nodded again. Not only was Ace a fighter scout, but he was the leader of the Harlem newsies.  
  
"You talked to Jackey-boy about it yet?" Mush looked away and shook his head.  
  
"I didn't wanna tell nobody 'til I made it, an' if I don't they don't gotta know." Ace's eyes widened a bit as he tipped the cigar.  
  
"Ya gonna juggle night fightin' with day sellin'?" Mush shrugged.  
  
"How hard could it be?" Ace snorted.  
  
"Hardah than you would think Mush-man, hardah than you would think." Ace said. "If I do this, an' I ain't sayin' I will, what's in it foah me?" Mush had known better than to assume just because Ace was his friend, he would help him into the business for free. Things just didn't work that way these days.  
  
"I'll give ya half?" he offered timidly. Ace laughed.  
  
"I'll only take a third, an' that's only foah the foirst coupla weeks." Ace said grinning. "Now, you know the schedule right? Five nights a week, all startin' at 8." Mush's brow furrowed.  
  
"What about the day fightin' that goes on in the mornin's?" Ace shrugged, tipping it again.  
  
"That's only when ya get known. When people start puttin' real bets on ya, they ask ya to do days. You gotta earn it." He glanced up at Mush. "You sure you wanna juggle 'em both?" Mush shrugged.  
  
"What choice do I got? If I can't get good at fightin', I can just stay with the newsies."  
  
"Aright, but don't say I didn't warn ya. Practice is whenevah ya feel like comin'. I would say that you oughta go at least an hour a day." Mush stared at him. "What?! You need to get into shape, and I don't mean just muscles. You gotta work up your pain tolerance, your reflexes, and your endurance Mush-man. Just remembah that I wouldn't offah to help if I didn't think you could do it." He cracked his knuckles. "If you agree to this, there ain't no backin out. If you do, I'll pound ya foah makin'-"  
  
"I ain't gonna back out." Mush said flatly.  
  
"I'm just sayin', if ya do, not only will I pound ya, but I'll take three dollahs from ya a week foah a month. Ya got me?" Mush nodded. Ace spat in his hand and held it out to Mush, who did the same and shook his hand. "Now go back ta sleep fa christs sake, you're gonna need it." He said, clapping Mush on the back and turning him around.  
  
"I'll be thea at 6 at the earliest. That good?" Ace nodded.  
  
"I should be thea, no problems."  
  
Mush inwardly congratulated himself. He'd done it. He'd finally started to follow after his Dad, who'd died three years prior. His last promise to him had been that he would "make somethin' outta himself and get into the ring". He intended to keep that promise, he thought to himself as he walked back up the stairs. Kloppman had been nowhere in sight.  
  
R/R Please, lemme know if I should bother to keep going...  
  
Carryin' the Banner, Jackal 


End file.
